


Getting Home

by franki_stein



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Childhood Memories, Fluff kinda at the end there, M/M, Steve gets off a mission and comes home to a sleeping bucky, Stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:32:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6995914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franki_stein/pseuds/franki_stein





	Getting Home

Bucky. He was waiting. As he does when Steve was on separate missions. He might already be in their bed, asleep maybe. The thought of being able to see a sleeping Bucky made Steve all the more anxious and ready to get home to his and Bucky's little apartment on a corner, above an old sweets shop.

The sweet shop hadn't changed much since the forties, different management and different wallpaper, but the recipes are the same. The sweet taffy still sticky between Bucky's fingers and Steve's _laugh's_ the same when he would get peppermint stuck in his own teeth. Although Bucky thinks its a notch deeper nowadays. Their milkshakes were still to die for, as well as the seasonal pumpkin pie. That Steve likes to buy by the box.

Steve thinks about the sweets shop as he leaves Avengers Tower after hours of paperwork and death tolls. He's still all up in his Cap Armour, too many other things to think about and people to talk to before he can even hope of getting comfortable. He decides against a cab and starts to just run home. He needs to burn off all the dark thoughts and tightness in his chest before he gets to Bucky. He shouldn't have to deal with Steve's demons as well as his own.

Steve slows to a stop when he reaches the side of the sweet shop. He travels through the side entrance, up the staircase that avoids the old McArthur's door that is placed at the back of the shop (Mr McArthur's mother was the woman that owned the shop back when Steve and Buck were kids, now it belongs to their grandchildren). Steve's always real careful about leaving them be. He knows that they wouldn't be bothered by Steve going through the front door and passing them to get to the indoor stairs. Steve just thinks that he has no business going through there while those people are sleeping peacefully. Bucky knows that he just gets the creeps from the place when it's dark. Rightfully so.

Steve unlocks and opens the door as slowly and as quietly as possible at the off chance Buck might be soundly asleep. He closes it with the softest of _thuds_ behind himself.

Steve passes through the entrance of their small, cozy apartment.

"Buck?" He whispers to the completely dark vastness of furniture and home appliances. He gets no reply. He sets his keys on a little table that leads to the doorway of the kitchen. He opens the fridge hoping that maybe Bucky had made some Macaroni and Cheese or had leftovers from whatever he might have had to eat. Slim chance but it was worth a shot.

Steve glances over a bowl of Kraft Mac and Cheese that Bucky had so diligently written ' _you're welcome_ ' on a yellow post-it, and stuck it to the side. _God Steve loved that man_. He reached for the bowl and lifted the sticky note off, and instead let it reside with the rest of the post-it's Bucky liked to leave him.

There was a time when Bucky hadn't quite recollected all his memories and Steve wanted to help in any way he possibly could, poor guy would buy the entire apartment complex if it had meant Buck might remember something.

At first it was just the sweet shop that Bucky had remembered going to as a child. But then as other, deeper memories started to resurface, he realized why Steve was all flustered and red the first time they went and sat at the "vintage" booths. They just sat there for a couple hours. The young woman at the small counter had nothing against it.

"Anything for friends of the family." She might have one of the brightest smiles Steve had ever saw.

"Damn, you were a nervous wreck Stevie." Steve lifted his head from his lap, thinking about sitting in the same seats some eighty years. The seat covers were a different shade of burgundy. He looked up and saw Bucky smirking, a facial expression he recognized so well. Every time he wore it, Steve welcomed chills that reached his fingertips.

"1930, right?" Steve smiled at Bucky's words. That told Bucky he was already on the right track. "It was my thirteenth birthday. Ma had given us a couple of dollars to spend however we like. We came here?" Bucky had directed as a question.

Steve nodded. "Every time we had money Buck, we'd spend it here." Bucky looked thoughtful. "We sat in this booth, only I was beside you instead of across. You were on the inside, said you liked to trace the wallpaper print." It was the last booth, near the end of the shop. Steve's back to the wall connecting the entrance of the staircase that connected to their now apartment door.

"I wanted to hold your hand." Steve blushed, so slightly only Bucky, who was siting directly in front of him, could've seen.

"I know you did Buck." Steve laughed lightly. He was so nervous someone would see them. I mean it wasn't like Bucky had offered making out in the boys bathroom directly to their left (not at that age anyway) but with Steve being all young and anxious and the not completely hetero way Buck had been tracing small circles with his thumb on Steve's hand under the table, needless to say, Steve stuttered the entire way through ordering his "double chocolate caram-I mean fudge" milkshake.  
  
After that, Bucky had started to leave yellow sticky notes with either bits and pieces of memories or just loving words for Steve everywhere because he had not yet been completely cleared for field work, not that he's quite sure he would even want to go back into the field, and he needed something to do. Steve completely supports retirement. Just not for himself. But Bucky on the other hand has levels to even out and to hell with leaving Steve out to do more stupid shit while Bucky wasn't aware.

/"Fucking give me a heart attack and I swear Rogers, I'll hurt you, bad."  
"I'm looking forward to it Barnes."  
"Don't you wink at me, pervert."/

For different reasons these post it notes meant a lot to Stevie, and Bucky could understand why he decided to buy a sticky note friendly board where he could have his collection of yellow motivations. Bucky no longer left them around the house (except for the few on their bathroom mirror, telling Steve how lovely he looks with toothpaste dribbling out of his mouth or how much Bucky loves it when he dances to that stupid song in front of the mirror), instead he just left a new one on that board everyday. They're starting to overlap each other now, maybe Steve will get another board.

Steve heard a ding to let him know that the Cheese covered Mac has been reheated and is ready for his consumption. He took a spoon and dug in. He finishes the whole bowl in two bites, he swears there was more than that at the bottom. He puts away the bowl and promised to clean the rest of the growing number of dirty dishes tomorrow. He traveled through the dark room and reached the bedroom doorway, the door was wide open, welcoming, waiting for him to get home. He sees a lump of body in the bed and can hear soft, even breathing emitting from it. So Bucky /did/ get to sleep.

He loves the suit. He really does. It's truly an excellent piece of battle gear, but nothing feels better than taking it off. Shedding the skin-tight nylon and letting his skin breathe. He reaches for a tee shirt, that may or may not be Bucky's, and slips it over his head. He lays down into the warm, fluffy comforter and immediately feels the coolness of metal around his waist where Bucky has slipped his metal arm around Steve's middle. Steve turned to face Bucky, he traces his fingers over Bucky's features. His rough cheeks covered with scruff that he thought needed to be shaved. Steve however, didn't mind it as much. Steve leaned in to kiss Bucky's forehead. Just a light scrape of chapped lips across warm skin. Bucky smiled in his sleep and Steve turned away to put his back to Bucky's chest. It was warm and comfortable and safe. Bucky's metal arm still around Steve's stomach and locked in place. Bucky moved closer to Steve, if it was possible. Held him close because he was finally home.

"You smell like death." Bucky whispered sleepily. Steve smiled and let a low chuckle escape his lips.

"You love it." Steve replied, voice heavy with tiredness. Bucky hummed and nuzzled his nose to the back of Steve's head.

"I'm glad you're back." Bucky said in a low voice into Steve's ear.

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did. Now go to sleep. All that fighting bad guys must be tiring." Bucky whispered sleepily and kissed the back of Steve's neck.

"Good night Buck." Steve reached for Bucky's metal hand and lightly kissed it. Minutes later he slipped into a dreamless but beautiful sleep.


End file.
